Marner Excited, Says Golden Knights Are ‘Where We Wanted to Be’

Mitch Marner, the newest Vegas Golden Knight, met with the media on Tuesday. Had he hit the open market, he could’ve made a killing. Instead, drawn in by their winning pedigree, Marner signed with the Golden Knights before Free Agency. 

“Ever since they’ve been in the league, they’ve had a competitive team every year,” said Marner. “They’ve got such good players here. Luckily, it all worked out. This is where we wanted to be.”

The Golden Knights have made the playoffs in seven of their first eight seasons. Players took notice– everyone wants to play for a winning organization.

“You want to win. That’s the whole goal of why we do this,” Marner said. “You want to hoist the Stanley Cup, and this team has shown that they can do it. I’m lucky enough to now, hopefully, bring another piece in to help bring it back here.

“I think we put the most pressure on ourselves as hockey players. That’s how we play the game,” Marner continued. “We want to win every single night. You want to win every battle. You want to win anything you can, all the time.”

Marner is eager to settle down and raise his family in Vegas.

“Playing in this arena, it’s all-time,” gushed Marner. “It’s a pretty good destination spot to come watch a hockey game. Seeing the videos from [my parents’] phones, seeing the love that the fans give when you come out on the ice, it’s pretty special… And the city itself, everyone just thinks of it as The Strip, but there’s so much more to it.”

Read More: Marner Reopens Golden Knights’ Contention Window; Full Analysis

Marner spoke about how excited he was to play for head coach Bruce Cassidy.

“He has always been a high-end coach, and getting to know him personally at the Four Nations was awesome,” Marner said. “He’s just a very down-to-earth guy, talks very calmly, and listens to your points, listens to what you have to say, too. Those are the conversations you want to have with your coach. You want to be able to express yourself and let him express himself, and find where you can help each other out. I’m looking forward to playing under him.”

Marner revealed that Mark Stone and Jack Eichel reached out to him on Saturday morning.

“It’s been great. They’ve been welcoming us with open arms,” Marner said. “The wives have been extremely helpful to my wife, and we’re extremely grateful for that.”

Marner played his junior hockey for the London Knights. Now, he’s a Knight once again.

“It’s a full circle moment for sure,” Marner acknowledged. “Obviously, it’s the Vegas Golden Knights, but it’s a really cool feeling to be called a Knight again.”

Marner admitted that he originally planned to test the marker. However, all of that changed when the Golden Knights made him an offer.

“We thought about going to Free Agency, but this was the place we wanted to be,” Marner said. “We didn’t want to lose that opportunity; we wanted to join this hockey team… I’m so grateful to be here, and so happy to be a part of this team.”

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